High school students accused of sexual assault

An investigation into claims of a sexual assault committed by multiple East Henderson High School students Dec. 8 is now in the hands of the State Bureau of Investigation.

By Emily WeaverTimes-News Staff Writer

An investigation into claims of a sexual assault committed by multiple East Henderson High School students Dec. 8 is now in the hands of the State Bureau of Investigation.The school is also looking into the allegations. No charges had been filed as of Thursday night.“We have been made aware of an alleged incident that occurred off school campus involving students from East Henderson High School. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as they investigate the incident,” Superintendent David Jones said via e-mail Thursday.The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office received the complaint Tuesday night, Capt. Frank Stout said in a news release Thursday. Early Wednesday morning, the Sheriff’s Office, after consulting with the district attorney’s office, requested the State Bureau of Investigation take over the case because of the nature of the allegations and persons involved, he said.“The allegations were that it happened at a residence of one of our officers, and to be totally transparent about the investigation, that’s why we requested an outside agency to look into it,” Stout said.The officer was away on vacation when the alleged incidents occurred, Stout said. The SBI’s investigation is ongoing. “We’re unable to make any comments on the allegations, specifically, other than to say we are cooperating with law enforcement and conducting our own investigation to insure the safety of our students,” East Henderson Principal Matt Gruebmeyer said Thursday. Such allegations or incidents can be disruptive and divisive, he added, but so far at East, students, staff and the community are “remembering what our values are, focusing on school, family, community and doing right for each other.”Although he can’t predict the future, Gruebmeyer said he “feels certain that if we end up having charges and/or convictions (from this investigation) that are serious in nature,” some form of school punishment will likely follow. No other information on the investigation was immediately available Thursday night.Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.